oDR is a non-partisan media platform that covers political and social developments in the post-Soviet space. We work with activists, journalists and researchers to publicise issues that are either censored or left behind by mainstream discourse.

We cover topics that are underrepresented in most other media outlets: environment, gender, labour, minority and human rights, social inequality, migration, freedom of expression, cultural politics and media critique.

These themes reflect deeper inequalities, whether hierarchies of voice or hierarchies of institutional power, and we are committed to exploring a common progressive agenda in Eurasia.

We are looking for insightful, provocative and unexpected pieces.Straight news is not a good fit for us — though if your topic is particularly compelling, we may ask you to expand on it.

We prioritise good writing and authors that seek not merely to educate, but engage the audience — we want your material to resonate deeply with our readers. This is why we're committed to building long-standing and productive relationships with contributors.

Our work is aimed at a general international audience. We want to see critical, original pieces written to engage with an intelligent but non-specialist readership.

Your political standpoint is unimportant, though it is crucial that you engage with the articles and subjects featured here, or with recent developments that are topical and relevant. We will consider all submissions but reserve the right to select what we publish. Quality is key, and editorial decisions will be final. We expect good use of hyperlinks and referencing when appropriate, and request that jargon be avoided or clearly explained.

We prefer to receive pitches rather than submitted texts.

• Features should be under 2,500 words. Note that, depending on the topic, being concise and staying within 2,000 words tends to be beneficial for a lot of analytical pieces
• Opinion pieces should be under 1,500 words. Once again, staying below that limit and being concise will, more often than not, help you emphasise your point

We want to build a constructive, compassionate and critical public sphere. Contact lead editor Tom Rowley here to discuss your ideas.

Editorial team

Tom Rowley: lead editor

Valeria Costa-Kostritsky: editorial assistant

Kateryna Farbar: Ukraine correspondent

For more details on openDemocracy's funding, please see our About page.